How To Get Free Of Cheap Haircuts?

A frequent complaint in the hair industry is how expensive a haircut service can be – an average haircut costs between $20 to $100 (and more). While it is true that looking good costs, it’s also true that there are spending hacks that can ensure you won’t break the bank when getting a new updo.

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If you’re wondering how your budget will stretch to pay for a fresh haircut, follow these nifty tricks to pay less or nothing for your next haircut.

The 15 Ways of getting a free or cheap haircut are below.

Table of Contents

• Key Takeaways
• How To Get Free Or Cheap Haircuts?
  • Beauty and Cosmetology Schools
  • 2. Become a Hair Model
  • 3. Work at a Salon
  • 4. Work-at-Home Stylists
  • 5. The Local Barber
  • 6. Ditch High-End Salons
  • 7. Select A Junior Stylist
  • 8. Coupons and Loyalty Programs
  • 9. Donate Your Hair for a Free Haircut
  • 10. Trading Skills
  • 11. Ask a Friend to Cut Your Hair
  • 12. Cut Your Own Hair
  • 13. Book a Group Haircut
  • 14. Ask For Student Discounts
  • 15. Visit a New Hairstylist
• Related Questions
  • Will A Barber Cut Women’s Hair?
  • How Long Should My Hair Be To Donate?
  • How To Find Coupons For A Free Haircut?

Key Takeaways

• Ditch high-end salons and opt for affordable, even free haircuts by going to beauty and cosmetology schools, the local barber, and work-at-home stylists.
• Consider working at a hair salon, becoming a hair model, or donating your hair for a free haircut.
• Visit a new hairstylist, ditch high-end salons, select a junior stylist, book a group haircut, or use coupons and loyalty programs for a cheaper haircut.
• Although risky, you can pull out the scissors and cut your own hair or call a friend to help you out.
• Lastly, consider trading skills. For example, you can offer a service to a stylist in exchange for a free haircut.

How To Get Free Or Cheap Haircuts?

A luxurious pamper experience at a high-end salon is fantastic. Unfortunately, however, our budgets do not always allow it. Fortunately, there are affordable, even free, ways to get a haircut.

Follow the 15 best ways to get a haircut for free or cheap – you’ll never want to pay full price again.

Beauty and Cosmetology Schools

Going to a beauty and cosmetology school is another way to score a free haircut.

Many hairdresser’s colleges have students eager and in need of volunteers to practice their cutting skills. These colleges offer various free or super cheap salon services to the public because the students aren’t qualified yet.

You can also get coloring services, updos, and highlights at a fraction of the price.

Fortunately, the cosmetology students are under constant supervision by a licensed instructor. The standards are also exceptionally high because it is a teaching environment. So, minor mistakes are generally identified and corrected on the spot.

These motivated students want to work hard and please you. So, they put in extra effort to please you, which often outweighs the risk paired with a lack of experience.

Note that it might take longer than usual as the students are still learning. So, be sure to set enough time aside.

Give local beauty and cosmetology schools a call to find out if they offer free or cheap haircuts to the public and on which days the salon is opened to the public.

2. Become a Hair Model

Consider becoming a hair model for a free or cost-effective haircut. If you’re open to unique styles, allow a hairstylist to freely take charge of your locks.

Hair salons always need “guinea pigs” willing to allow stylists to practice new techniques or funky and adventurous haircuts. Skilled stylists may also want to teach new hairdressers to do a specific cut or showcase their skill and expertise.

Becoming a hair model is risky; you won’t have the luxury of deciding which hairstyle or hair length you’d prefer. So, be sure you’re comfortable with unique hairstyles before agreeing to model for the salon.

However, note that many salons might charge models for the services. So, before agreeing to model, ensure you double-check about pricing and discounts.

Keep an eye out for advertisements or leaflets in salons, or pop into some nearby hair salons to ask if they need a model.

3. Work at a Salon

First of all, working at a hair salon is not for everyone! Still, it’s a viable way to get cheap, sometimes free haircuts.

Many salons offer products and services at a significant discount to their employees. In addition, staff may want to try new styles on each other for free.

So, if you have extra time on your hands, try to land a permanent or part-time job at a local hair salon.

4. Work-at-Home Stylists

Skip the luxurious, high-end salons and pay a visit to a work-at-home stylist to save money.

Visiting home salons typically offer services at lower prices. Some of these stylists also offer freelance or mobile services where they’ll meet you in the comfort of your home.

These professional hairstylists aren’t renting a chair at a salon or paying double rent for their home and business. Therefore, you can save on discounts or lower prices. Many work-at-home stylists offer services up to 50% of standard prices.

You may prefer the more intimate, one-on-one appointment when you visit a work-at-home stylist.

Search for in-home hairdressers on Facebook Marketplace. You’ll be surprised at how many hairdressers work for home in your area.

5. The Local Barber

In general, barbers offer cheaper services than hairstylists.

Barbers are ideal if you want to refresh a short, traditional style like a buzzcut, fade, flattop, or military-style cut. However, barbers are also well-trained and can style long hair into straightforward styles.

Most hairstyles that barbers give you are straightforward and low-maintenance. So you won’t have to purchase tons of products to style your hair each morning.

Attention all men, many barbers include a hot lather face shave – it’s a real treat!

6. Ditch High-End Salons

Ditch high-end salons with notable brand names to avoid emptying your pockets for a haircut.

Name brand salons cost a lot more than smaller, local businesses – we often pay for the name. However, local professionals can also offer the same cut at lower prices.

So, unless you’re opting for an adventurous, risky catwalk style, we’d recommend supporting smaller local salons.

7. Select A Junior Stylist

Larger hair salons have various stylists available, ranging from junior to senior.

Having a senior or top stylist cut your hair will cost substantially more than asking a junior stylist or apprentice to cut your hair. So you could end up paying half the price by opting for the latter.

A junior or apprentice is generally still working towards becoming a fully-fledged stylist. Their stylists work at the lowest price range for cutting hair. Then, stylists typically have about 6 months’ experience and charge a slightly higher rate. Lastly, senior stylists have years of experience and charge the highest rates due to their experience and skill level.

If you select a trainee or junior stylist, you’ll most like still be under an experienced stylist’s supervision.

8. Coupons and Loyalty Programs

Get a discount on haircuts by using viable coupons and participating in loyalty programs.

Look out for hair salon coupons in your local newspapers and junk mail. You can also directly search through the salon’s online website and Facebook page to find coupons.

Join the mailing lists of your favorite hair salons to stand a chance of gaining coupons and discounts.

Many innovative salons have loyalty apps or cards that you can use to receive points on each visit. These stamps or loyalty points build up over time, and you can score a free haircut, coffee, hair wash, etc., depending on what salons offer.

Groupon and LivingSocial promote daily deals and coupons up to 50% off hair services, including a haircut.

9. Donate Your Hair for a Free Haircut

If you have long locks, consider donating your hair towards a good cause, and you can get a haircut for free in the process.

Many salons host several haircut events per year to help hair donation organizations. These organizations produce wigs for cancer-fighting patients. In addition, the salons are willing to offer free haircut services for clients willing to donate their hair.

If you’re ready to wave your long hair goodbye, pay a visit to one of these events. You’ll be helping someone in need while scoring a free haircut.

Your gift of hair can go to organizations like:

• Locks of Love
• Children with Hair Loss
• Wigs for Kids
• Chai Lifeline

10. Trading Skills

Have you ever considered trading skills for a free haircut?

If you have a friend who cuts hair, ask them if they’d be willing to trade their services for yours. Many hairdressers would be happy to trade skills – both save some cash.

11. Ask a Friend to Cut Your Hair

Take the risk and ask a friend with a steady hand to help touch up your tips or trim your bangs. Even a straightforward color application with store-bought color can be applied at home with the help of a friend.

If you have a qualified friend or family member that’s a hairdresser, you can ask them for special rates or discounts.

12. Cut Your Own Hair

Cutting your own hair should probably be last on our list. Nonetheless, this courageous option won’t cost you a dime (excluding buying a pair of hairdressing scissors).

Before getting your hands into your hair, we recommend preparing yourself first.

First, invest in quality hairdressing scissors. Second, spend some researching how-to videos and as much time researching “what not to do.” Finally, YouTube offers endless DIY videos to help you learn how to cut your own hair.

Then, once you’ve gathered the courage, pick up the scissors and give it a bash.

If you’re trying to trim your bangs, consider getting a Creaclip to help you hold your hair in place while you snip away at your hair.

13. Book a Group Haircut

Most of your friends will need a haircut at some point, too – so buddy up and pay less!

Many salons are happy to give a discount if you book a group haircut instead of a single appointment.

Some salons even offer referral discounts. If you refer a friend, both will receive a discount. Consider referring your friends separately to receive discounts when you need a fresh haircut.

Ask your stylist if they offer group or referral discounts the next time you pay a hair salon a visit.

14. Ask For Student Discounts

If you’re a student, consider asking for student discounts.

Many businesses are happy to offer tasty incentives to students. Take your student card with you to ensure you get a discount on your haircut.

Be mindful that you’ll need to compare discounted prices to other salons’ standard prices to ensure your discount doesn’t mean diddly squat. Many discounted rates can still be more expensive than other local salons.

15. Visit a New Hairstylist

I know there’s nothing better than being comfortable with a specific hairstylist, especially when the stylist is aware of your preferences and insecurities and provides perfect haircuts.

However, many salons offer special discounts for newcomers as a welcoming gift. In addition, many newly opened salons also provide special packages to attract customers.

If you’re up for the adventure, try a new hairstylist or new salon to save some bucks.

Related Questions

Continue reading these frequently asked questions for more clarity on getting free or cheap haircuts.

Will A Barber Cut Women’s Hair?

Barbers are happy to cut a woman’s hair like hair salons frequently cut men’s hair. However, most ladies prefer going to a salon as they cater to women’s needs like coloring, highlights, perms, curling, straightening, and other salon services.

How Long Should My Hair Be To Donate?

Most organizations only accept hair between 8 to 14 inches long as a minimum length. However, several charity companies also accept 6-ich length.

How To Find Coupons For A Free Haircut?

Follow your favorite hair salons on social media (Facebook, Instagram) to be the first to see posts where the salon provides coupons and impressive discount deals.

You can also ask salons and barbershops if they have a loyalty app or program that you can join. You’ll receive notifications of upcoming specials.